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Jaco Beach
With only 2.5 hours (approx 117 km) drive from the capitol, San
José, Jacó beach or playa Jacó is one of the most visited
beaches in Costa Rica.
The long sandy beach has a shape and ocean floor that promotes
big waves, very much to the delight of most surfers visiting
Costa Rica.
The most common route to take when going from San José down to
Jacó is to drive via Alajuela, continue to Atenas and further
down the dark green slopes of the west side of Costa Rica until
reaching San Mateo. Continue from there to Orotina and take
highway 34 straight down to Jacó.
Also make sure to peek through the car windows when passing el
rio tarcoles (tarcoles river) where you can see the natural
habitat of the enormous crocodiles of the Tarcoles River and the
mangroves.
The Beach ------------- The playa is a bit over 3km in length
from one end to the other. It makes a nice walk and if your legs
give up on you, the local taxis will be more then happy to help
you out. You can also rent cars and bikes.
For reading, keep your eyes open and look for Jacó News, a
monthly English language publication.
The surf is best in the rainy season from May to November, but
depending on what you crave in size of waves; Jacó really can
offer an all year surfing experience.
Sights of Jacó ------------------ Jacó is really the kind of
place where doers go. Not to much to see locally. Things you can
do are rent kayaks, go deep sea fishing or take a sunset cruise.
Horse riding is also very popular and most hotels can arrange
that for you.
The latest craze to emerge in Jaco is
paragliding and you can
even go with a boat-plane to private beaches.
Places to go when in Jacó ------------------------------ You can
go with local tours to Carara National Park, La Catarata
(waterfalls) and Tarcoles crocodile tours. You should also plan
for a visit to playa Hermosa south of Jacó where you can take
the canopy tour.
Some places to sleep in Jacó are, Jacó Fiesta, Club del Mar,
Copacabana, Best Western Jacó Beach Resort and Apartotel
Gaviotas.
Eating -------- As Jacó is a quite big beach and a lot of
tourism, you'll find a lot of places serving food. Visit
Bananas, Chatty Cathy's, Emily's to the north. La Fragata with
pasta and fish. La Hacienda with mid priced snacks and La Ostra
with fish as a specialty.
Bars & Nightclubs ----------------------- They come and go on
almost a day to day basis. Two of the best are Central and Los
Tucanes.
Shopping as what you expect on a tourist beach and if you run
out of money, then visit Banco Nacional in the centre of town.
Finally, a warning ---------------------- Jacó has a bit too
strong surf to really be a good place for small kids. Big waves,
rip tides and under currents can be dangerous for someone young
or unaccustomed to the sea.
And as always, when dealing the sea, be careful. The tide in
Costa Rica changes the sea level many meters and can pull anyone
out into the open sea.
About the author:
Steven always spends his vacations in Costa Rica. His favourite
places are the beaches. More about Jaco Beach
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